Pilot program for carbon-neutral energy management

DENSO Corporation has announced the launch of a pilot program to test a new energy management system at its Nishio Plant in Japan as part of efforts to eliminate CO₂ emissions from the facility.

Under the philosophy of “Bringing hope for the future of our planet, society and all people”, a key component in the company’s Long-term Policy 2030, DENSO has worked to maximise the value of its Green and Peace of Mind causes. In the Green domain, DENSO is pursuing efforts in manufacturing, mobility products and energy use to realise carbon neutrality. This represents one of many initiatives in the energy usage category.

The trial uses a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) energy management system developed by DENSO as well as a storage battery for transmitting electricity to the plant. It includes a Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) system enabling the use of an electric vehicle as a storage battery to connect to and mutually utilise the power grid of electric utility companies, along with solar panels. This system has been installed within Nishio Plant’s “Pocket Park”.

The SOFC generates electricity using hydrogen as fuel, without being influenced by weather conditions. The SOFC developed by DENSO incorporates thermal management technology and fuel recycling technology, which has been cultivated through automotive components, aiming for a power generation efficiency of 65%.

At Nishio’s plant, the equipment is being used to manage energy more efficiently by charging and discharging batteries and controlling SOFC power generation according to factory power demand. The demonstration will begin with using city gas and sims to adapt to societal trends by exploring the mixed use of carbon-neutral gases, such as hydrogen, along with natural gas or the exclusive use of carbon-neutral gases. The results of the demonstration will inform carbon-neutral activities as DENSO Fukushima Corporation.

DENSO will aim to offer carbon-neutral solutions that can be applied to other manufacturing industries and society, such as industrial equipment at plants and commercial and business facilities. It will also continue to take on challenges to develop environmentally friendly technologies through various demonstrations.

Image caption: Panorama view of Nishio Plant’s “Pocket Park”. Image: Supplied